What's Next?

My goal is to get out of debt so I will be free to go wherever God sends me.  I hope to continue to minister to students and people in Milwaukee through prayer, evangelism, encouragement and service.  My goal is to know God and make Him known.  I also hope to get back to Ghana, Africa.  They say the church there is "a mile wide and an inch deep", which means there are plenty of opportunities to be used by God.  I hope to recognize every day, every moment, as a gift from God.  I want to commit myself to prayer, and being filled with the Holy Spirit and filled with God's Word.  I look forward to the day when I am debt free, and able to be sent wherever!

If you need prayer for anything, please email me.  msanders19@yahoo.com

I encourage you to check out Pastor Mark Driscoll at marshillchurch.org !

Nyame Nkyiraw! (God bless you!)

Support Goal

Each of us needed to raise $2150 in support for the mission to Ghana, Africa. I was blessed to raise $1170. Thank you all for your support! This does mean I had to write out a personal check for $980. Please pray that God continues to raise up supporters and the rest comes in! Thank you for your prayers.

If you feel led by God to give, please send a check immediately to Mike Sanders, 2864 N. Downer Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, 53211. Checks can be made out to Campus Crusade for Christ, and all donations are tax-deductible. Call me if you have any questions, 262-751-1311. God bless!

His Name is Daniel

This story begins roughly 2000 years after the death of Christ.  I attended a mens night (though I was hardly a man) at First Assembly of God in Waukesha.  I was twelve years old, and although I was young, for the first time I truly understood the meaning of the prayer I had spoke maybe 20 times before.  I accepted Jesus into my life, and understood it meant giving Him control over every aspect of my life.  I remember thinking to myself during the ride home that "things are going to be different from now on".  I cried, because I knew there was a lot I was going to miss out on.  Nine years later I finally understand that the only thing on this earth that will satisfy us is a moment by moment relationship with Jesus Christ. I understand that God wants to show us something greater than the sin we settle for.  

While I had accepted Jesus into my life, I had no foundation.  "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:26-27).  My 'great crash' came during the first couple years of college at UW-Milwaukee.

In high school, I didn't drink or use drugs, and I swore to myself I would never drink and drive. In college, I drank, sometimes smoked marijuana, and on a few occasions drove drunk.  One of the worst nights, I got extremely drunk, grabbed a bag of marijuana, and drove to a friends house. I smoked the weed there, and walked out of the house. I saw a friend and handed him my keys. I guess I assumed he was sober, but he was drunk and high as well. Driving home, we crashed into a turn-around. I wasn't wearing a seatbelt and so my head slammed into the dash. Miraculously, I didn't have a cut or bump or anything; but it did sober me up. I realized the situation - my friend and I were extremely intoxicated with both alcohol and marijuana, we just crashed into a turn-around, and we had a bag of weed in the car. I immediately started praying. I prayed for mercy, for forgiveness, and that God would get me home safely and without getting arrested. I switched seats and drove all the way home, going 10mph, with a bent rim on the front left tire, down a busy road.  God got me home safely without getting pulled over. That night I opened my bible, and here is the exact verse I opened to:  

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing..." (Joel 2:12-14).

I returned to God, but not for long.  With no foundation, I ended up struggling with drunkenness over and over again.

There is another night that led me back to Jesus.  We had a party at my house and like most nights, I got completely out-of-control drunk.  My friends brought me to my room, and there I sat listening to music and reflecting.  I was disappointed with the life I was living, and recognized the danger in the lifestyle.  As I sat alone in my room, the song "Daniel" by Elton John started to play.  It is the song that played at my cousin Danny's funeral.  Danny struggled with alcohol and drugs to a much more dangerous extent.  He tried to free himself from the addictions, but they ultimately led to his death.  When the song started to play, I felt so shameful.  I was hurting my family.  I must have cried for two hours.  My roommates tried to console me, but nothing could change the thought that I was letting Danny down.

The struggle continued for awhile, but I finally promised God "not another drop" of alcohol on December 30th, 2007.  By His grace and power I have stuck to that promise.  In September 08 (this past September), I finally gained a firm foundation in Christ through an organization at UW-Milwaukee called Campus Crusade for Christ.  Since then, God has been challenging me every day to move closer to Him.  In December, my friend Jon told me about a mission trip to Ghana, Africa he was planning on leading over spring break. My interest was sparked right away.  I decided I would pursue the opportunity, and if God didn't want me to go, He would let me know one way or another.  In late January, Jon told me that while he was praying God revealed that he wouldn't be going to Ghana.  God had other plans for Jon's spring break (he and a group of friends ended up driving to Kansas City, sharing the gospel at college campuses along the way).  Jon asked me if I was interested in leading the trip.  I told him absolutely yes! But, I needed to pray about it.  That night I spent time in silence and solitude before God, and he spoke very clearly to me.  "Yes Michael, Go! Lead. Be strong. Rise to the occasion."

The trip was March 13th-22nd, and it was amazing.  We flew from Milwaukee, to Chicago, to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Accra, Ghana.  With layovers, the trip was over 24 hours long! We stayed in Accra a night, and then drove to Cape Coast, Ghana where we did most of our ministry.  We shared the gospel with students at the University of Cape Coast.  UCC is a gorgeous campus, and everyone there is more than welcoming.  In fact, everyone we met in Ghana was more than welcoming.  In the United States, it is very difficult to share your faith.  Too many students are uninterested and closed off.  At UCC, students were just the opposite.  Students invited us into their rooms, introduced their roommates, and eagerly listened to what we had to say.  In fact, they are such gracious hosts, that it was at times a challenge to get them to participate in the conversation, because they simply wanted to listen.  The six of us from UWM were able to share our faith with 40+ people throughout the week.  We conversed sometimes up to an hour in some rooms.  We spoke a lot about the assurances of salvation, that if anyone receives Jesus they receive eternal life.  We pointed out verses like

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

and

"And this is our testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13).

These verses helped assure those who had allowed Christ to take over the throne of their life that they have eternal life.  We also walked students through the Four Spiritual Laws.  The following story testifies to the greatness and fullness of God's love and grace:

Daniel and Daniel and Daniel

The second day witnessing at the University of Cape Coast was an amazing one.  Erica, Andrea and I were on a team together.  The first person we shared with introduced himself with a nickname, which is as hard to spell as it is to pronounce so I won't attempt either.  He welcomed us into his room, and we all sat down and got acquainted.  We asked if he would like to read through a "Knowing God Personally" booklet with us, and he agreed.  As we read, his interest grew.  He started asking questions, and for each question we would point him to a different bible verse.  He asked how sin is defined in the bible, and we turned to Galatians 5 for the answer.  He told us that he sometimes told friends that he was Hindu, and that afterwards he always felt bad.  He told us that his sister died, and that it was very hard.  We turned to 2 Corinthians 1 and read about "The God of All Comfort".  We continued to read the "Knowing God Personally" booklet.  It lists the 'Four Spiritual Laws':

1) God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He has a wonderful plan for your life.  God's Love - "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)  God's Plan - "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)  Then the question "What prevents us from knowing God personally?" is asked.

2) People are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan.  People are Sinful - "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)  People were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we choose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.  People are Separated - "For the wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).  

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that people are continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion, but we inevitably fail.

The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

3) Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love and plan.  He Died in Our Place - "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)  He Rose From the Dead - "... Christ died for our sins... He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures... He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred... " (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)  He is the Only Way to God - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' " (John 14:6)

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these truths...

4) We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan.  We Must Receive Christ - "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)  We Receive Christ Through Faith - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)  When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8). We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation - [Christ speaking] "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20)  

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be.  Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two circles represent two kinds of lives.

Self-Directed Life

(S) Self is on the throne

(+) Jesus is outside the life

(.) Decisions and actions solely directed by self, often resulting in frustration

Christ-Directed Life

(+) Jesus is in the life and on the throne

(S) Self is yielding to Jesus

(.) The person sees Jesus' influence and direction in their life

We then asked the Ghanaian student, which circle best represents you?

He said, "Well, if I am going to be honest with myself, I would have to say that one" (pointing to the self-centered life).

We asked him, which circle would you like to have represent your life?

He silently pointed to the Christ-Directed Life.  We turned together to the next page...

You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (prayer is talking with God).

God knows your heart and is not concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.  The following is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

We asked, does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

He said "Yes".

All this time, as we were reading and answering questions I was praying.  I was praying for his salvation.  I had never personally seen anyone accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the idea of God using me for such a purpose was humbling and amazing.

Erica prayed a line, and then he echoed, all the way through the prayer.  When we opened our eyes, we were all smiling.  I realized I had forgotten the nickname he gave when we first met, and so I asked him, "What was your name again?"

He looked at me and said, "Daniel".

I nearly broke down in tears at that instant.

You see, while satan meant my cousin Danny's death for evil, Jesus used it for good.  Danny's death helped to bring me back to Jesus, and rescue me from my sin and struggle.  And then, the first person God uses me to lead to Christ is named Daniel!

We spoke with Daniel after the prayer, about not depending on feelings, but relying only on God and His word.  We told him a few ways to grow as a Christian:

G Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7)

R Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11)

O Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21)

W Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matt. 4:19; John 15:8)

T Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7)

H Holy Spirit - Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8)

And that he should remember that "Your walk with Christ depends on what you allow Him to do in and through you empowered by the Holy Spirit, not what you do for Him through self effort.

So we talked about Campus Crusade for Christ, how it has changed our lives for the better, and how he could get involved at Cape Coast University.  We took a picture together, and parted ways.

but the story doesn't end here...

Afterwards, I told Andrea and Erica all about Danny and the significance to me that the Lord used me to lead Daniel to Christ.  I cried through most of the telling.  We then prayed together.  After that, we ran into a staff member for UCC's Campus Crusade for Christ.  She urged us to reach out to some women on campus, because their Cru is lacking.  We decided to continue sharing, and headed for a women's floor.  As the three of us headed into one of the dorms, I met eyes with a guy standing outside on the balcony a few rooms down.  I stepped into the girls dorm, but told Andrea and Erica I would be right back.  I walked out towards the guy, and introduced myself.  He told me his name... "Daniel"!  I knew right then that God was doing something amazing in my midst.  I asked if he would like to read through the "Knowing God Personally" booklet with me, and he agreed.  As we read, I encouraged him to read some of the verses.  Pretty soon he took the book and was reading all of it himself!  At one point while we were reading on the balcony, we both noticed a giant lizard rustling around below (we were a floor up).  Daniel said, "Woah! I've never seen one that big before! ... Woah!".  As we watched, my eyes drifted to a stone directly below us on the patio a floor below.  On the stone was a small sticker that simply read, "Danny".  I could not believe my eyes!  I wanted to keep reading the book, and so we continued.  We got to the pictures, and he pointed to the Self-Directed Life circle when asked which one represents his life.  I asked which he would like to be, and he said "Definitely that one!" (pointing to the Christ-Directed Life).  He prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior!  Praise the Lord!  Right after, I pointed out the sticker that was directly a floor below us, directly over where he prayed to receive Christ.  He said, "Woah! Did you put that there?!"  I told him "No! But I know God did!".  We were both amazed.

After, we spoke about what comes next for him, and took a picture together.

But, the story doesn't end there!

The next day, while we were praying as a team, God revealed to me the significance of the sticker.  While Melissa was praying, I suddenly thought about the sticker, and then heard God speak, "His name is written in the Book of Life".  I was overwhelmed.  Immediately after, the revelation was confirmed when Melissa, while praying, used the exact phrase, "and the names written in the Book of Life".  I broke down crying.  

I told the team about it after prayer.  Melissa asked me about the colors of the sticker.  I told her it was all black, with "Danny" written in white.  She said "Danny was a light in the darkness".  Then, I remembered what I told Daniel after he asked me if I put the sticker there.  I told him that "I didn't put it there, but I know God did".  When Danny died, I felt shame and guilt for not trying to reach out to him (note that those kind of thoughts don't come from God).  But now I can say that while I didn't lead Danny to salvation, I know God did!

Later that night, God continued to amaze us:  

Melissa came to talk to me.  She had been praying that God would lead her to a place in the bible to start reading.  She prayed it again that night, and when she opened her bible, she opened directly to the first page of "Daniel"!  

"Daniel" means "God is my Judge".  Some would look at Danny's death and say, "suicide, he is in hell."  Not so, God is the only Judge.  Danny accepted Jesus as LORD and Savior, and when he met God, Jesus told him "well done my good and faithful servant".   

Later still, I flipped to Daniel 12.  I read verse 1, and once again came across that phrase that until this trip I had maybe heard once before in my life:  "... everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered." (Daniel 12:1).  

I kept reading, and God speaks to Daniel at the end of the chapter, "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your alloted inheritance." (Daniel 12:13).

I look forward to the day when I get to once again see Daniel and Daniel and Daniel in heaven!